loveland



.(No Model.)

W. T. LOVELAND.

FUELING TOP SAILS. v 3.340- Patented May 17, 1887.

WITNESSES 4 ;v INYENTOB:

ATTORNEYS.

N. PETERS. Phclo-Lilhogmphur. Washin ton. a. C.

Ihurrn Srarns II ATENT much,

WILLIAM T. LOVELAND, OF NEW GRETN A, NEIV JERSEY.

FURLING TOP SAILS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,340, dated May 17,1887.

Application filed February 16, 1887. Serial No. 227,703. (No model.)

of New Gretna, in the county of Burlington and State of New Jersey, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Furling TopSails, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to the arrangement and attachment of the top-sailbrails or clew-lines by which a vessels top-sail is clewed up from deck,as in furling the sail; and the invention has for its object to soconnect the brails to the top-sail that it can be easily and quicklyclewed up without danger of fouling.

The invention consists in a novel method of connecting the brails andtheir carryingblocks to the top-sail, as hereinafter clearly described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part ofthis specification, in which the figure illustrates the application ofmy improvement to the gaff topsail of a vessel.

A represents the head of the mainmast; B, the top-mast; O,thccrossirees; D, the head of themainsail; E, the gaff; F, thegaff-topsail;

G, the top-mast hoops; H, the top-sail halyard; I, the topsail tack, andJ its sheet, all arranged and operating in the usual way in setting thetop sail.

For clewing up the top-sail I employ two brails, K L, the brail orclew-line K being made fast directly to the clew F of the sail,preferably by means of the grommet M, to which the sheet J is attached,while the brail L is made fast to a grommet, N, secured in the foot ofthe top-sail about one-third distance from the tack to the clew. Theafter brail or clew-lineKu'uns up along theleech of the top sail throughgrommets or thimbles I secured at intervals thereto, passes over ablock, Q, suitably secured to the head of the sail, and then down at oneside of the mast through the rigging to the deck. The brail L runs upover a block, R, secured in any suitable manner to the luff of thetop-sail about a third of its length from the bottom, as shown, and runsdown to the deck with the clew-line K at the same side of the mast. Inclewing up the topsail tack I, sheet J and halyard H are loosened in theusual way and the brails L hauled in. The brails serve to draw in theclew and foot of the top-sail to the blocks Q and B, respectively, andat the same time act as down-hauls to draw down the luff of the sail bymeans of the hoops G, running on the top-mast, so that when the brailsare hauled taut the top-sail is clewed up, as indicated in dotted linesin the figure, the blocks Q, R, to gether with the clew F and the pointN of the foot, being bunched together at the foot of the top-mast, thesail bellying out in a ball and the tack alone being free.

In the ordinary arrangement the top-sail clew-line is made fast to thefoot of the sail at or near the tack, or to the body of the sail, runsthence through a block secured to the clew of the sail, and up over asecond block fastened to the head, to the deck; but when the tack andsheet are loosened and the sail is thrashing the sheet is very apt tofoul the block at the clew, as well asthe clew-line rove therein,thereby preventing the hauling in of the clew-line. In my arrangementthe block is removed from the clew to the luff, so thatit cannot befouled by the tack or sheet, and, further, in making this change noalterations in the sail or new running-gear are necessary, other thanthe extra brail L, thereby making the application of the improvement tosailsin use a very simple operation.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the top-sail and. itssetting-rigging, of a brail or clew-line made fast to the top-sail, ablock fastened to the head of the top-sail, through which the brail orclew-line is rove, a second brail made fast to the foot of the top-sail,and a. block fastened to the top-sail luff, through which the secondbrail is rove, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the top-sail and its setting-rigging, of abrailor clew-line made fast to the clew of the top-sail, grommets or thimblesattached to the leech, through which the clew-line is passed, and ablockfastened through the blocks and made fast to the clew t0 the headof the said sail, through which and foot of thetop-sail, substantiallyas shown 10 the brail 0r clew-line is rove, substantially as anddescribed.

' shown and described. M '1, LOVELAND.

5 3. The combination, with the top-sail and its setting-rigging, ofblocks fastened to the Witnesses: head of the top-sail and to its luffat a point CLARE CE L. BURGER, between the head and foot, and brailsrove .0. \SEDGWIOK.

